My family and I had a 'beef' with late Jerry John Rawlings - Sam Payne

Former Ashanti Regional Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Sam Payne, has disclosed that his family has had a longstanding personal issue with the late former President Jerry John Rawlings.

Speaking in an interview on Neat FM on August 28, 2026, he explained that on a Sunday in September 1989, some “militia” personnel and “border guards” came to their home and arrested his entire family, including the children, at the time.

According to Sam Payne, his father, George Payne, lived close to Ghana’s border with Côte d’Ivoire and was an opinion leader in the area. He said the family was arrested because the authorities believed his father was against the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), which was led by Jerry John Rawlings and therefore they wanted to punish him.

He said that following their arrest, the family was taken to various prisons across Ghana for no apparent reason.

Sam Payne said he was accused of having gone to the barracks where the militia personnel and border guards were stationed, beaten some of them, and released some smugglers who had been arrested, allowing them to flee.

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“My family and I have had a longstanding personal beef with the late Jerry John Rawlings. In September 1989, we were kids when some militia personnel and border guards came to arrest us in our home. Our house was close to the Côte d’Ivoire border, and they took us to almost all the prisons in Ghana for no apparent reason, simply because they felt that my father was against everything the PNDC did.

“My father was an opinion leader and they were trying to punish him. They accused me of going to their barracks to beat the militia personnel and border guards, and then released some smugglers who had been arrested, allowing them to flee,” he said.

The family was eventually brought before a tribunal and charged with acting with the intention of sabotaging the country’s economy. Sam Payne said the incident ultimately led to the longstanding beef.

“They took us around different prisons, and after six months, they finally released us. So, that issue is a beef,” he said.

Sam Payne further alleged that the family was taken to various prisons across Ghana for six months before they were eventually released. He said they were arrested in September 1989 and released in February 1990.

However, according to Sam Payne, after spending six months in custody, the authorities eventually decided to release them.

@swaytv2 My family and I have a personal beef with former President Jerry John Rawlings. He arrested members of my family, including me. #GhanaNews #foryoupage #GhanaPolitics #viralvideo #trendingvideo ♬ original sound - SWAY TV